The Heirs to the Light
by TheSnareBear
Summary: Harry has an interesting encounter with a trusted friend. Sixth Year. Chapter 8: School Arrives
1. Strange Encounter

J. K. Rowling owns the characters, I own the situation, and Samantha Starrin (there's probably one somewhere) owns her name.   Thank you for letting me borrow it, Samantha.

Harry Potter was ecstatic.  He had just received a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that stated that he was going to be allowed to be a prefect in his sixth year at school.  He had trouble containing his joy at this joyous announcement.  He decided to keep it a secret because he knew that if his aunt and uncle knew that he was going to have some sort of enjoyment at school, it wasn't likely that he'd be allowed to return.  He thought of the look on Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody's face if he found out that his relatives weren't going to allow him to return. _Hehe,_ he thought, _Dudley would find out what it's like to be a ferret_.

As he sat down to a dinner of mince pie, Harry thought of why Ron was unseated from his Prefect position.  There could only be one male Prefect from each house and in the previous year that was Ron.  Deciding to ask his friend this in his next owl to him, Harry ate, listening to the constant droning of the big-screen TV in the kitchen. 

Harry trudged up to his bedroom and looked to see if Hedwig had returned from her hunting.  _Guess not, _he thought, walking over to his desk.  He took half a step before doubling back, looking at his bed.  A beautiful woman was sitting on it.  She was clad in a white T-shirt (which ended slightly above her navel) and a pair of jeans that had fit Dudley when he was five.  This woman's platinum blond hair was slightly ruffled and had a slightly unwashed look to it.  Her amber eyes were slightly entrancing.  "Um…not to be rude or anything, but…who the devil are you?" asked Harry.

"Samantha Starrin," responded the woman.

"Doesn't ring a bell.  Tell me what you're doing here or I'll summon the entire Order to this house."

"Ah, they're right, you are smart," she responded.  "I'm an Animagus, Harry.  Dumbledore asked me to watch over you while you were at the Dursley's.  I was in your father's year at Hogwarts, but I'm a Ravenclaw.  I was also the only person in our year that could _legally _become an animal."

Harry was taken aback.  "You're an animagus?" he asked. "What's your form?"

"A charming and beautiful snowy owl," Samantha replied.

Realization dawned on Harry.  "H…Hedwig?"

"And God said 'Let there be light!'  Yes, Harry, I'm Hedwig.  Sorry for the loss of your owl," she said.  "Dumbledore told me to watch over you until your sixteenth birthday.  At that point, you were supposed to go to Hogwarts to receive further instructions."

Harry sat at his desk.  "How do I know you're not making this up?" he asked.  "How do I know you're not one of Voldemort's cronies, coming to take me to him?"

At this, Samantha looked hurt, but not surprised.  "They always told me you were smart," she said.  "I guess you're just going to have to trust me, Harry."

"My trust is earned," Harry responded, his emerald eyes full of ice.

"I don't have time to earn it, Harry.  All you have to go on is my word."

Harry considered the options.  The likelihood that one of Voldemort's minions found her way to Privet Drive was slim, but it was still possible.  Alastor Moody's voice echoed in his head.  "CONSTANT VIGILENCE!" it said.  But for once, Harry didn't listen.  "Alright," he said, "where are we going?"

"The Hog's Head," said Samantha.  "Aberforth's the barkeep there, and we'll walk to Hogwarts from there."

Harry was about to start packing his trunk, when a thought came to him.  "How am I supposed to get there?" he asked. 

"I'm going to have to create a portkey," she said, picking up a nearby quill. 

"Hey!" said Harry.  "Don't _think _about using my quill as a portkey.  Hermione gave me that for my birthday."

"Do you have a better idea?" she asked him.

Harry immediately went to his trunk.  Digging down as deeply as he could, Harry extracted a pair of knobbly old socks.  He unballed them, and pulled out a small glass top.  It stood on end in his hand, but didn't spin or whistle.  'Well, there's some proof' thought Harry.  "Here," he said, throwing the socks to Samantha. "Don't worry, they're clean." 

Samantha pulled her wand from a pouch she had attached to her bicep by a leather band.  Harry noticed its mahogany color and considerable length – it looked to be at least a foot long.  "Portus," she whispered.  The sock glowed for a moment, then stopped, and looked completely ordinary.  "I set it to go off a minute from now, so you'd better hurry."  Harry closed his trunk, and instinctively reached for Hedwig's cage.  "You won't be needing that," said Samantha.  Harry, realizing his mistake, brought his trunk nearer Samantha.  When time was almost up, he grabbed the toe of the sock and waited.

He felt a familiar tug behind his navel, and Harry's feet were torn from the ground.

A/N   Yes, I've put this story up before.  Yes, it was flawed.  Yes, I fixed it.  Yes, I will update when I get three reviews.  I promise, this time.


	2. Journey to Hogwarts

A/N – Jo Rowling owns the characters.  The rest of this disclaimer is in the first chap.

When Harry's feet finally hit the ground, he was in a somewhat familiar setting.  He noticed the dingy windows, which let so little light through that there were candles burning in the tarnish candlesticks, even though it was only six o'clock and still light outside.  The floor seemed cleaner than the last time Harry had entered the pub, and he noticed that the glasses that the barkeep was serving firewhisky in clean glasses this time.  "Two butterbeers, please," said Samantha to the long-haired, long-bearded bartender.

"Four sickles," replied the aging man.  "Samantha!" he exclaimed, "I didn't realize you were back?  How was New Zealand?"

"Is that where your brother has been saying I've been?  Well, Aberforth, I suggest you ask him about that sometime soon.  Could you tell me if Ms. Weasley or Minerva have arrived yet?"  asked Samantha.

"Minerva's been, and she's seen her young charge to one of the rooms – dead tired, that one.  Over-studying.  In the summer, I ask you!  Mrs. Weasley hasn't come yet, but Albus told me to expect her around now.  Is she bringing one of her children?  Such great kids they are, too.  I can remember when Bill was just a third year.  He came down to my bar just because he knew his mother wouldn't approve.  Never told her that, though."

"Yes, Molly's bringing one of her sons.  A friend of Harry's, as it happens.  His name is Ronald.  Do you remember him from last year?"

"Yes, the one who was organizing the defense group.  That girl did look familiar, she was there too, wasn't she?"

"You mean Hermione?" Harry suddenly interjected, "and Ron?  What are they here for?"

"The same thing as you, Harry," came the voice of Mrs. Weasley, who had just walked through the door.  She was levitating Ron's old, battered trunk, and  removing a light traveling cloak.  "Has Minerva been, Aberforth?"

"That she has.  The girl that she brought with her is upstairs.  Now that you're all here, would you like me to go wake her?"

"No, I'll do it," replied Mrs. Weasley.

"Harry, thought I wouldn't get to see you until the trip to Diagon Alley.  Happy birthday!" said Ron.

"Yeah, me either.  Thanks.  Do you know why we're here?"  Harry asked quietly.

"No clue, mate.  All mum would tell me is that we were going to go to Hogwarts a month early.  Didn't tell me 'til this morning, either.  You should have seen Ginny, she was jealous as you could imagine.  I reckon that she doesn't want to be cooped up in the Burrow with just mum, dad, and Percy for company."

"Percy," Harry said remembering the letter the older Weasley had sent to Ron in the beginning of their fifth year, "does that mean the prat's apologized?"

"You should have seen it, it was pitiful, Harry.  Turned up on our doorstep, almost in tears.  Bloke had his robes torn, and looked like he'd been through the worst of it," said Ron, with a look of mixed sadness and jubilance on his face.

"We'll be off, then," said Mrs. Weasley, coming downstairs with Hermione in step behind her.  Harry and Ron grabbed their trunks and followed behind her, and began trudging up to Hogwarts Castle.

"Hey, Hermione," said Harry, "have a nice nap?"

"Yeah, why were you asleep?" asked Ron.

"Honestly – I was training," she whispered in response.

"TRAINING!" yelled Ron.  He received a stifling kick in the shin from Harry.  "Sorry," he said, "training?  For what?"

"Well, since V-Voldemort's back, I thought that Harry might need some help planning the DA meetings.  So, I've been practicing the Patronus charm, and other charms from a book I borrowed directly from Madame Pince."

"How've you been keeping it under-wraps?" asked Harry.  He'd been chided for having a house-elf levitate a pudding onto one of his uncle's customer's heads before his second year, and was wondering how Hermione was performing upper-level charms and jinxes without being hauled off to Azkaban.

"I was practicing for a life-or-death situation.  That's clearly allowed in the Statute for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry.  Madame Pince also helped me find  that out.  Most wizarding laws aren't shared with the general public for the same reason that the complete Quidditch rules aren't – they don't want people getting ideas.  Unfortunately for the Ministry, Madame Pince has contacts inside the Ministry clerk's office, and she got me the complete text of the law."

"You're a genius, Hermione.  Has anyone ever told you that?" said Harry, passing the winged-boar gargoyles standing watch outside the Hogwarts grounds. 

The remainder of their journey was spent in silence.  Harry, Hermione, Ron, and their escorts, walked through the enormous oak doors guarding the Entrance Hall of the school.  They went up the grand staircase, and found their way to the phoenix-like gargoyle protecting the Headmaster's office.  "Atkins!" said Samantha.  The gargoyle rotated, and the group of friends ascended the staircase to the office of the most powerful wizard in the world.

AN: Yeah, it took a while, but summer's here, so I should be updating more often.  Review, please. By the way, it looks like the story's going to be about 14 chapters long, and I hope to be done by the end of summer.

AN 2: In response to all the reviews I didn't know I had:

SmacksKiller: Didn't know there was a challenge.  Should I enter?

Tynkerbell:  I agree 100%.   She's glad she's back.

Aagwyn: Samantha's hot, but she's also about thirty five years old.  In some countries, that's illegal.


	3. A Minor Explaination

Samantha reached for the brass knocker hanging on the oak doors into Albus Dumbledore's office.  Before she could slam the knocker against the brass, however, the door opened, and the headmaster appeared, his blue eyes sparkling behind half-moon spectacles.  "Ah, Samantha.  I haven't seen you in years.  Come in, all of you!  Ms. Starrin, you look marvelous.  Might I offer anyone a crumpet or some tea?"

"I'll take some tea," responded Samantha.

"Me too," said Harry and Ron.

"And I," said Hermione and Mrs. Weasley.  They all sat around a newly added circular coffee table in the rotunda of his office.  They sat in silence, eating the warm crumpets and drinking tea.  At first, Hermione seemed reluctant to take the crumpets.  Harry noticed this, and shot a grin at Ron. "Elves," he whispered quietly.

"Hmm?" said Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh, nothing," came the reply from Harry.  Hermione, however, seemed to catch what he said and shot both of them a nasty look.  She took a large bite out of one of the smaller crumpets, and Dumbledore spoke.  "I suppose you three are wondering why you are here," he said.

"Well, it has crossed our minds a bit," joked Ron.  Hermione quickly slapped him.

"Well, it's difficult to find a place to start.  You've all heard of Cassandra Trelawny, the great-great grandmother of our Divination teacher Sybil Trelawny?  She was considered one of the most gifted Seers to have walked the Earth since Merlin's time.  A large number of prophecies in the Department of Mysteries can be attributed to her.  The Keeper of Prophecies has provided me with a copy of one of hers.  One that involves the three of you."  At this, he removed an inlaid Gryffindor seal from the table and flipped it over.  An image of Cassandra Trelawny appeared on the other side, like a magical photograph.  She didn't resemble Professor Trelawny much, but Harry did notice a resemblance.  Her eyes seemed about two sizes too large for her head, though she wore no glasses.   The image spoke:

_The Dark Lord shall appear twice,_

_Defeated the first time by a child._

_With the blood of his foe, he shall arise anew,_

_Only to be defeated,_

_By the boy and his friends._

_Of the Three, _

_They shall be granted powers_

_Which none have seen_

_ Since the time_

_Of Gryffindor and his friends.  _

_The power of healing,_

_The power of foresight,_

_And the power to defeat the Darkness, once and for all_

_Shall be granted to the three_

_And they may succeed, though it is uncertain,_

_For the Lord of Dark has powers_

_Which not even Seers see._

Harry, having heard a prophecy not two months ago, reacted more quickly than Hermione or Ron.  "Professor," he said.  "Does that mean…does that mean that I don't have to be alone when I face Voldemort?"

"I'm afraid it doesn't, Harry.  It does, however, tell us that you will not be alone in your battle against his minions. It means that your chances of defeating Voldemort in the final battle have just increased threefold."

"Professor," interjected Hermione, "What does it mean – we will be granted powers?  More powers than being magical?"

"Yes, Hermione.  You and Ron have been given powers because of your special relationship with Harry.  The trust that you three share goes beyond friendship.  Because of this, the three of you have been granted increased powers by the High Mages, who rule over magic in all its forms."

"Ron," continued Dumbledore, "you have been imbued with the of the power of Healing.  This staff," he said, walking to a nearby mahogany cabinet, "amplifies that power.  You'll also be able to easily create your own spells."  Ron took the staff from Dumbledore and admired beautiful oak it was hewed from.  Around the base of the staff, a single serpent wound itself, resembling the staff of Asclepius.  The headpiece hat two snakes wrapped around it, and had to shining, golden wings protruding from each side.

"The original Staff of Hermes fused to a Staff of Asclepius.  From the Asclepian Staff, you receive your healing powers.  The Caduceus that acts as the headpiece gives the power of spell creation.  Hermione, your staff," said Dumbledore, pulling the next one from the cabinet.

Hermione took the staff from Dumbledore, and examined it with scrutiny.  "The Eye of Isis," she said, "the All-Seeing Eye.  Professor, it's beautiful."

"This staff grants you the power to observe areas which aren't Unplottable, and areas which are not being specifically guarded from powers like yours.  This castle has been made so that you can oversee all that goes on in it.  Also, you can disguise yourself and anyone else without the aid of an Invisibility cloak.  You can hide yourselves from Death Eaters, animals, or even anyone in this room.  Finally, Harry," said he, pulling the third and final staff out of the cabinet.  His staff was made of a black, knotty wood.  On top of it sat a crystal, webbed in gold.  Inside the crystal was what appeared to be a small model of the universe.

"Your staff increases your existing magical power.  You can telepathically communicate with whom you choose using this staff, and your already astounding ability to do wandless magic has been increased exponentially.  You can cast physical shields to guard against objects propelled at you, and magical ones to guard against stray spells.  You will not be able to sustain these shields for an extended period of time now.  However, with practice, you will be able to increase the time you are able to protect yourselves and your friends.  Harry, you also are the recipient of this," Dumbledore said, pulling the Gryffindor sword from its place in the crystal cabinet.  "Remember.  Only a true Gryffindor can use that sword to its full potential."

"Thank you professor," said Harry, holding his staff lightly on his right side, "will we still need to use our wands to cast spells?"

"No," responded Dumbledore, "Mister Ollivander has said that he will transfer the cores of your wands to these staves as a service to the Order.  I must ask you to give me your wands so he can do this tonight.  He has promised me that you will have both your wand wood and your staves returned to you tomorrow morning."  Hermione, Harry, and Ron reached into their pockets and extracted their wands.  Harry's holly wand, Ron's willow, and Hermione's maple went into Dumbledore's hand, as did their staves.  "I must be getting these to Mister Ollivander.  I'll have Ms. Starrin show you to your new bedrooms.  Samantha?"

"The north end of the seventh floor, Albus?"

"Yes, that's the one," he responded.  Dumbledore's cloak wrapped around him, and the Headmaster disappeared.

"Goodbye, Ron," said a teary-eyed Mrs. Weasley, "I don't like that you're going to have to battle with the Death Eaters, but at least you have the Order for help if you need it.  Train hard – if you are going to have to do battle, you may as well do it so that you won't be defeated.  Harry, you too.  Rid the earth of that foul man.  Hermione, watch over them.  Make sure they use what little common sense that they have," She sobbed.  "You all make me _so _proud," she cried loudly.  Mrs Weasley grabbed some of the shining Floo powder from the mantle, and disappeared into the green flames.

"Well, if you're all ready to go to your rooms," said Samantha, leading the three friends out of Dumbledore's office.  Harry grabbed his trunk, Ron his, and they held Hermione's between themselves.  They walked up three flights of stairs, through a tapestry, past the Fat Lady, and to a gargoyle of a lion.  "Password," it roared.  "An Heir wishes to enter," responded Samantha.  The lion stepped aside, and the trio entered their own private wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

AN:  If anybody wants more information pertaining to any of the staves, just e-mail me.  My address is bill.the.defendermyrealbox.com.  I currently have all five books sitting next to me, so I'm pretty sure of all the facts.  I don't believe that JK has ever mentioned what Hermione's wand is made of, so I took a wild guess.  If you're having trouble imagining the headpiece of Harry's staff, just watch the movie Men in Black – "The Galaxy is on Orion's belt."


	4. The Calm

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped into their quarters, they were awed.  Across the room, they saw a fireplace that rivaled that which stood in the Gryffindor dormitories.  Bookcases lined the walls, and silver instruments on spindly-legged tables stood in each corner.  Red suede sofas were centered around a circular table, which opened to the fireplace.  There was also a considerable amount of room for practicing jinxes and curses.

There was a door on the east wall, "which leads to a hallway," said Samantha.  "From there, you can get to your bedrooms, your kitchen, and the training area.  You each have your own bedroom, though, if you prefer, you can all sleep in the same room."  At this, the three all blushed and looked at the floor.  "But maybe you'd prefer your own rooms," Samantha said with a grin.

They walked through the entryway and common room down the hallway.  It was well-lit, with mahogany wood trim and doors and crimson red paint.  Three doors were on the left side and two on the right.  At the end of the hallway was a bust of Domina from the musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."   "Oh!" squealed Hermione, "Domina!  My theater group put on 'Forum' last summer.  I played Domina!"

"Nice bust," sniggered Ron.  Hermione pretended not to hear.   They walked into one of the rooms on the right, which turned out to be a bedroom bedecked in royal purple furnishings, all with the Hogwarts seal on them.  A door next to the bed led to a bathroom.  Another door in led from the bedroom to another, decorated in the same fashion.  This room had three doors, one to the bathroom and the other two to the other bedrooms.  "I want this room," Harry said immediately.  He liked the thought of being able to talk to either of his friends without the other one knowing.  Also, this was likely to be the place where they congregated every night to talk, as all the bedrooms had space where chairs could be added.

They walked across the hall into the kitchen.  Stainless steel surrounded Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  The refrigerator, stove, microwave, blender, and toaster were all stainless – even the butcher-block countertop had a metallic sheen to it.  "How can we have a microwave?" asked Hermione, "There's no electricity in the castle…"

"Not in the main part of the castle.  Dumbledore had this area specially equipped so that you three could spend as much time in here as necessary for the rest of the summer.  You will, however, be required to attend regular classes during the school year.  Oh," she said, "damn.  I've gotta run, Harry, Hermione, Ron.  You'll have to explore the training center yourselves.  Make sure not to touch anything that looks too dangerous.  Train hard, you three, the entire wizarding world is counting on you, whether they know it or not.  Goodbye," she said, nearly running out their front door. 

"Well…" said Ron, "That was abrupt.  I call the nearest room!" he said.  Hermione rolled her eyes.  Ron ran down the hall, grabbed his trunk, and placed it at the foot of his bed.  Harry grabbed his and Hermione's trunks, and brought them to their rooms.  Afterward, they all sat on the couches surrounding the table in their common room.  Hermione searched the kitchen and found a bag of microwave popcorn, which they were all enjoying throwing at each other. 

"So, Ron," said Harry, "why aren't you Prefect anymore?"

"What're you talking about, I'm still a Prefect."

"Why did I get a badge in the mail, then?" asked Harry.

"Ha!  So it's true!  Ginny told me that Dean told her that he overheard Dumbledore talking after the Farewell Feast last year, saying that all the Prefects who were on the Inquisitorial squad were going to be sacked – that includes Malfoy.  Maybe Dumbledore wants you to take his place.  God knows that there aren't any decent Slytherins to do it," said Ron, throwing popcorn in the air for Pigwidgeon to catch.

"Wouldn't that be excellent?" said Harry, "Getting Malfoy's dad arrested, then taking his Prefect spot?  Now if only I could find the spell to turn him into a ferret…" He entertained the thought briefly.  The three continued talking late into the night.  Hermione was the first to retire to bed, and Harry and Ron went shortly after.  Harry undressed, put on his pajamas, crawled into bed, and slept.

AN: Alright, so it was a short chapter.  Sue me.   I needed to introduce their wing somehow!  My high school put on "A Funny Thing…" this winter, and I was in the pit, attempting to play the xylophone.  My ex-girlfriend played Domina, and she was the source of the bust joke – Sorry Deanna!


	5. Before the Storm

When Harry woke up the next day, his scar had a slight twinge to it.  _He's happy, _Harry thought, _I'll have to tell Dumbledore._  He sat up in his bed, pulled back the purple covers, and walked to his chest to put on a tee shirt before walking across the hall to the kitchen.  Hermione and Ron we already inside, attempting to make breakfast.  Ron was standing over the coffee pot, amused by all the buttons (there were three of them, Harry noticed.)  Hermione was by the stove, cursing every time her bacon popped.  It was not hard for Harry imagine that it hurt, since she was only wearing red plaid pajama pants and a two-sizes-too-small shirt.  "Allright, you two, out, out, out.  Go read a book or play chess or something.  _I'll _make breakfast," said Harry, "before either of you get hurt…too much," he said, grinning at Hermione. 

Harry finished the bacon and made a pot of coffee.  About twenty minutes after kicking his friends out, Harry walked out of the kitchen carrying a silver tray piled high with toast, bacon, and eggs as he levitated three cups of coffee behind him.  He walked down the hallway, and into the living room (as they had decided to call it last night), and found Ron and Hermione playing chess.  Hermione was on the white side, urging her knight into position. "Knight to G6" she said.  "Belay that," said Harry, quickly spotting Ron's bishop. "Thanks," said Hermione, gesturing the bishop and grabbing her coffee.  Harry plopped onto the couch, added some cream to his mug and sighed. 

"Fanks, Hawwy," said Ron around a mouthful of bacon. 

"You're welcome," he said, making an egg-and-bacon sandwich.  "So, what're we doing today?"

"We need to get our wands and staves back," said Hermione.  They finished breakfast, got dressed, and walked out of their wing.  They traveled through tapestries, down staircases, past portraits, and finally found themselves in front of the gargoyle protecting Dumbledore's office.  "Atkins," said Hermione. 

"What is 'Atkins?'" Ron asked, "They don't sell it at Honeyduke's, do they?"  Hermione explained the concept of dieting on their way up the revolving staircase.

"Ah, you three," said Dumbledore.  He was standing outside his doors, about to walk down.  "Here you are.  I forgot to mention it last night, but Mister Olivander has added a place where you can store your wand in your staff.  You can remove it and cast simple spells when you need to, but you can't do anything very powerful.  Levitating charms may even be a stretch, depending on your abilities," he said, handing the wands and staves to their owners.  "Samantha tells me that she was able to show you your entire dormitory, excluding the training grounds.  I suggest you explore them today.  You may find them quite interesting.  Now, I've got to go, there's an Order meeting in London, and I really must be present at this one," he said, walking down the staircase and out of the passage.

"WAIT, PROFESSOR!" yelled Harry. "I've got to tell you something," the old man turned around, "I woke up this morning, and my scar twitched.  I could tell that Voldemort was happy."

"Thank you, Harry.  I will relay that information to the Order," said Dumbledore.  He walked down the hallway and out of sight.

"Well," said Ron, "shall we go check out that training area?"  They walked back to their dormitory and through the remaining door in the hallway.  When the three entered the room, they were in awe.

The sight that greeted them in the training center was amazing.  An endless sky of blue stretched before them and hills surrounded the door, which stood freely in the field.  To one side of the door stood three racks of weapons.  They were covered with swords, daggers, shields, pikes, bows, sai, and, Harry noticed, katana.  To the left of the door there was a range for practicing archery, and a random assortment of dummies.  There was a small medical ward, and a blocked-off area where Hermione could practice scrying. 

"This is wonderful!" said Hermione.  "Ron…have you ever fought with a sword?"

"Never…but I'll try it," he said.  Ron and Hermione walked to the weapons racks.  Ron picked a small buckler and a pistol-grip dueling sword.  Hermione picked up a small greatsword.  They moved to the small area with the dummies, and magically dulled their swords before dueling.  Harry sat by and watched.  When one of them got tired, he would take his or her place using the Gryffindor shortsword and his staff in his left hand.

They continued this way for some weeks, practicing dueling, both of the Muggle and wizard variety.  Ron worked on creating spells, and Hermione became quite good at scrying.  Harry could cast a shield that would protect him from most of Ron's attacks, and Hermione could, if she so chose, watch all of this from wherever she wished, as when she decided to become invisible, Harry and Ron had no idea where she was.  On the fourth day of training, she had found a spell that would cover her footprints.

All was going well.  That is, until September 1st came around…

AN:  Yeah, yeah, it's late.  Sue  me.  Hey, have you all heard – the sixth book's going to be called "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" – JK confirmed it on her website (www.jkrowling.com) yesterday.  HBP isn't Voldy or Harry, though.


	6. An Attempt

August 31st came before the trio expected it.  They were all sitting in Harry's bedroom, which he had enchanted to have a small freestanding fireplace with three comfortable red armchairs surrounding it.  Using the Lazy Susan spell that Ron had created, a tray of marshmallows and melted Honeydukes' chocolate moved to Harry, Ron, or Hermione whenever they called it. 

"Guys…" Harry said during a lull in the conversation, "I have an idea.  You know how I can talk to people telepathically?  Well…Dumbledore never said that they had to be alive…so maybe…maybe I can talk to Sirius."

"Harry, that's really risky," burst Hermione immediately.  "If you go beyond your limit, the spell could kill you.  You should ask Dumbledore first."

"No.  I don't want him to know that I miss Sirius.  He…he told me last year that he loves me.  I don't want to appear weak for him."

"When'd he tell you this?" Ron asked.

"After that night at the Ministry."

"I wish I knew what that prophecy was.  Too bad it got dropped…" Hermione trailed off.

"I…I know what it said.  Dumbledore had a copy of it in his Pensive."

"In his Pensive?  Wouldn't he have to be there for him to have a memory of it?"

"Yeah.  He was.  It was Trelawney that said it to him.  It happened seventeen years ago, when he was going to tell her to bug off when she came looking for a job.  Huh…" he said, on a tangent, "now that I think about it, she's said one to me, too.  The third year exam, after I made up some mumbo-jumbo about seeing into the crystal ball…she said that Voldemort would rise again, worse than ever…anyway.  The one that got dropped said that…in the end…either I'll kill Voldemort or he'll kill me.  There's no other way.

"At this point, I'm not really afraid of dying for trying this spell.  If I know that I'm not going to die until I battle Voldemort, I'm going to try to talk to Sirius."

"Harry…why didn't you tell us before?  We would have…I don't know, talked to you or something.  Tried to sort it out.  We'd have helped you prepare more than we have been.  But still, Harry, you're not sure that you'll die when you fight Voldemort.  In fact, I _know_ that you won't die.  There's no way that Ron and I will let you die," Hermione said.

"Still…if you know that you'll at least live 'til you fight V…Vol…You-Know-Who," Ron said, and Hermione scoffed, "If you know you'll live that long, then there isn't harm in trying to talk to Sirius, is there?"

"No, there isn't," said Harry.

"Alright.  But you _have _to try it while Ron and I are with you.  When do you want to try?"

"Tomorrow night.  If I succeed, then I'll be able to talk to him before term starts.  If I fail, at least I'll get out of my first classes," he said with a grin.  Hermione walked off; amazed that Harry could use such a great opportunity to talk to his godfather as an excuse for getting out of class.  Ron went to bed shortly afterward, and Harry lay awake all night, thinking about what might happen…

Harry woke up early the next morning and, once again, made breakfast.  _This is cheap! _he thought, _I'm making Hermione read a book on cooking._  He finished breakfast and walked out into the living room, where Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet and Ron was dozing on the couch.  They acted as normally as possible, but Harry could tell that neither of them were truly content about what was going to happen today. '_Hey.'  _He directed this thought at Hermione.  She nearly jumped out of her skin.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER, HOW DARE YOU!  YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING TO BE DOING ANYTHING OF THAT SORT!!!"  At this point, Ron gave her a funny look, and she blushed.  Ron grabbed his wand from the notch in his staff and tried to levitate his plate of kippers to his abdomen.  He failed miserably, and he quickly grabbed his staff to save the plate.  "Damn," he said, "guess Dumbledore was right."

"Has he ever _not _been?" asked Hermione.  She ate her pancakes and Harry drenched his in butter and syrup.  They finished eating, and Ron and Hermione did the dishes in repayment for Harry cooking.  Harry took a shower and got dressed.  He walked out of his bedroom, staff in hand, to find Ron and Hermione playing chess again. 

"HARRY, GO AWAY!" yelled Ron. "I don't want you cheating for her!"

"Fine, I see how it is!" said Harry, mock angrily.  He walked into the training area and sat down to meditate.  He was going to need all his strength to do what he was planning on doing tonight, and he wanted to make sure it worked. 

Half an hour later, Hermione walked into the training center and sat next to Harry.  "Dumbledore came.  He said that the students would be arriving around seven o'clock.  The Sorting is supposed to start at 8, and the feast is afterward.  We're to be excused to our dorms after some remarks from Dumbledore, but we have to make sure that we direct the first-years to Gryffindor Tower.  The password is _Antebellum Serum…_" she stopped talking and looked at Harry.  "Harry, are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine.  Just nervous, I guess.  I really don't want to fail," he said, his voice quivering.  "I miss him, Hermione.  He was the only real family that I've ever had."  Then, Hermione witnessed something she thought she never would.  Harry Potter cried.  He bawled into her shoulder, and Hermione did the only thing she could think of.  She let him sit there, crying into he, getting rid of all he had been thinking about all summer. 

They sat there for nearly ten minutes, Hermione cradling Harry in her arms like a baby, and Harry not feeling ashamed at all.  When his tears stopped, Hermione propped Harry up.  "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah…thanks…  Honestly, that's all I've been thinking about all summer.  If I would have been a little faster, a little stronger, a little better, I could have saved him.  I _COULD _have, Hermione!"

"Harry, Sirius died the way he wanted to.  He was fighting evil.  Hell," she said.  Harry looked a bit taken aback, "You can't expect Ron's swearing to _not _influence me.  Anyway – he wasn't just fighting evil.  He was fighting Bellatrix!  He was fighting against what his family stood for.  And after he died, he would want to continue fighting.  He's a hero, Harry."

"Yeah…you're right…thanks.  We'd better get back, or else Ron'll think we're snogging or something."

They stood up and walked into the living room.  Harry and Hermione grabbed books off the shelves and plopped onto the red suede couches. Ron appeared about five minutes later, rubbing his hair with a towel.  "Harry, what's wrong?  You look like you've been talking to the dead," he joked.

"No, Ron, that's _after _the feast, remember?" Harry put the book on a small table and walked back to the training center, saying "Ron, come here.  I wanna swordfight."

Ron followed, as did a reluctant Hermione.  Harry grabbed his staff and the Gryffindor sword and walked through the mahogany door to the training area.

(/)

Many bumps and bruises later, the three emerged from the indoor field and walked into the kitchen.  Hermione opened the refrigerator and extracted a bottle of soda.  Harry and Ron each grabbed one, too, and they all walked out of their dormitory and to the grounds.  After a long walk around the lake, they returned to the front doors to find that Peeves was causing a ruckus. Professor McGonagall was standing beneath him, shouting.  "Professor," Ron said, "do you mind if _I _try?"

"I doubt anyone can control that blasted poltergeist, but I don't see the harm in it."

Ron stepped forward, staff in hand.  He held it up high, saying "_Lamina abigere!"_  Before Peeves knew what had happened, he was thrown against the wall, then up the grand staircase.

"Mister Weasley…that was amazing!" said Professor McGonagall.  "Where did you learn that spell?  It's one of the most useful charms I've ever seen."

"Thank you," Ron said, "I made it.  That was a practice for the one I'm planning on making.  The next level of it will be to throw Harry across the room so he'll stop hitting me in the hand with that blasted sword of his."

"You three had better go shower.  No offense, but you all smell like squid, and the rest of the students will be here in about an hour.  I suggest you lie low until the feast."

Two hours later, they sat down next to their fellow Gryffindors.   They had decided that would be a good idea for Hermione to make their staves invisible, so as to not arouse suspicion.  Professor McGonagall walked to the center of the room and placed down a three-legged stool with the Sorting Hat on top.  The tear near the bottom opened up, and the hat sung,

_My song for you is shot this year,_

_But always remember what you will hear._

_Stand together, stand strong,_

_Together, you can fight the wrong._

_I divide you now, though I know,_

_That this is not right, no way to go._

_If you were joined_

_As one together,_

_You could stand_

_Through any weather._

Tumultuous applause broke out through the hall as the hat sank back on to the stool.  "Robert Anderson!" called Professor McGonagall.  The Sorting had begun.

"Gryffindor!" yelled the hat.

"Benjamin Barrinter,"

"Ravenclaw!"  The hat continued until finally Sam Zabini was placed into Slytherin.  The stool was removed, along with the hat. 

Dumbledore said, as in years previous, "There is a time for speeches…but this is not it!"  Immediately, plates of pork, beef, and chicken appeared on the tables.  Harry grabbed a spoon and helped himself to a heap of mashed potatoes and gravy.  A first-year next to Hermione asked her about the school, while Harry stared into space, thinking about what he'd be doing in two hours' time.

As the last of the puddings was disappearing from the plates, Dumbledore stood up.  "As you all know," he said, "the Ministry of Magic has announced that Lord Voldemort once again plagues the earth with his torment and torture.  I can assure you, however, that you are safe for however long you stay at this school, and, for third years and above, your trips to Hogsmeade. 

"You will also notice," he continued, "that some of your colleagues do not possess ordinary wands anymore, but staves.  This is because they are, truly, one of the great hopes left in the battle against the Dark Lord.  For those of you who are jealous and wish to hurt these three, be warned.  I assure you, they can look after themselves.  And on that note, I believe that it is time for bed.  Goodnight." 

There was a great noise as dozens of benches were pushed out and the entire populous of Hogwarts evacuated the Great Hall.  "I thought he'd mention us," Hermione said, "but I didn't think he'd do it that directly."

"I'm not surprised," Ron said, "I liked the last comment, though.  That should keep those damned Slytherins off.  An Heir wishes to enter!" said Ron to the gargoyle. 

They stepped into their dormitory, and Harry sat on the floor.  "I'm going to do it now," he said. 

Ron and Hermione sat next to Harry.  Ron grasped is staff tightly, ready to heal Harry if need be.  "Here I go," Harry said.  "Telepthus Sirius!"


	7. Results

AN: Sorry this took so long, everyone.  I hate to tell you, but I'm not going to be able to update 'til at least Thursday of next week, and maybe not then.  I'm going on vacation, and it's highly unlikely that I'll get enough time on a computer to allow me to type and post a chapter.  I had a debate in my head as to whether or not Harry should talk to Sirius, but I finally decided…

Harry could feel the very foundations of his soul being rocked.  The magic that was coursing through his veins was the most extreme he had ever felt.  Up became down, black became white, and he wondered whether or not the prophecy would really protect him from death. 

Finally, he landed.  Standing in front of him was the spirit of Sirius Black, looking well-rested, well-fed, and as youthful as he did in the pictures Harry had of his parents' wedding.  "Harry?" he said "What the bloody hell are you doing here?  Oh no…"

"I'm not dead, Sirius," he responded.  Harry related what had happened since the night of Sirius's death, nearly in tears the entire time.  "I can't believe I'm actually talking to you," Harry sobbed.  "When you fell through the veil and Remus said you were dead, I thought the world ended.  It's just…" he trailed off.

Sirius grasped Harry and pulled him into a tight hug.  "That veil is a portal to this…place," he said.  "If you touch it, your soul is sucked from your body and it's brought here.  This…Limbo…is the place usually reserved for people who've been kissed by Dementors.

"It's unsettling here," he continued, "most of the people who are here really deserved getting their souls sucked.  Before the Ministry harnessed the Dementors, being pushed into that veil was used as severe punishment. 

"Harry," Sirius said, "I don't want you trying this again.  That prophecy will protect you from death until you kill Voldemort, but I don't want to know what's happening to your body right now.  Facing the Dark Lord while in traction probably isn't a good idea.  Now go, Harry.  Forget the past, but remember me.  Remember any happy times that we had, even though there aren't many.  Look toward the future."

"But Sirius," Harry said, "what'll you do?  Are you damned to stay here?"

"I'll find a way out," Sirius said, "You think a place like this will hold a Marauder?  Naw, I'm guessing another week and I'll be up in Heaven with your mom and dad.  Goodbye, Harry.  I love you."

"I love you to, Sirius.  _Nox,_" he said.  A warm feeling spread over Harry, and he felt his soul return to his body.

"Oh my God, Harry, you're okay!" he heard Hermione scream.  "We were so worried!"

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"You did the spell, then you fell down and went into convulsions.  About a minute later, you stopped.  You were breathing again, but otherwise pretty much comatose.  Didn't respond when we called you, or cursed you.  Sorry about the burn, by the way.  Had to try it."

Harry noticed a pain on his leg and saw a hole in his jeans, just above his knee.  "What the hell did you do that for, Ron?  Never mind, do something for my head.  This must be what a hangover feels like," he said. 

Ron quickly gave Harry a potion and immediately his head felt better.  "Thanks," Harry said, "how long was I like that?" 

"About three hours," Hermione said, "It's one in the morning now.  We'd all better get to sleep if we don't want to be completely out of it for our classes tomorrow.  Goodnight, Ron, goodnight, Harry."

"Night, Hermione," said Ron, trudging off to his room.

"G'night," said Harry.

AN:  Short chapter, I know, but I'll work on a good long one while on vacation.  Once again, sorry about not updating sooner.


	8. School Arrives

AN: I know, I know, it's waaaaay too late again.  I'm planning on making this a rather long one – about three short chapters' worth.  Oh – if you feel that I'm taking too long in updating, please e-mail me at .  If you do so, I'll likely update much sooner, since the worst part about getting these chapters up is getting them started.  Anyway, on with the story.

When Harry awoke the next morning, his head was still aching.  Instead of his normal trip to the kitchen at this time of day, he walked directly to his bathroom and started a nice warm shower.  Fully clean, fully dry, and fully dressed, he stepped into the living room.  Hermione was already in there, reading a book.

"Hey," he said, "What time did you get up at?"

"Six thirty," she said, not looking up from An Advanced Guide to Transfiguration, Grade 6.  

"Getting behind, Hermione?  Classes start today and you're not done with the course books yet?" Harry joked.

"Wow Hermione," said Ron, walking in, "Term starts today and you're not done with the texts?  This must be a record!"

"Actually, I'll have both of you know that I _have _finished reading all of the course books.  I'm re-reading because that was a month ago and I've forgotten three pieces of information from the book already," she chided.

Harry snuck a glance at the page number.  _Four hundred and thirty-two,_ he chuckled.  "Come on, let's go get breakfast," he said, hoping to change the topic before he burst out laughing. 

The Great Hall was nearly empty, containing only those students who were early-risers.  Classes didn't start until nine o'clock, and it was only seven forty-five.  They sat at the end of the Gryffindor table, near the center aisle.  Just as Hermione was putting kippers on her plate, a solitary bird flew through the open window and to Harry.  Its red plumage and long crimson tail cause Hermione to gasp.  "Oh my gosh," she said, "it's a phoenix!"

"And it's not Fawkes," said Harry, eyeing the black spots near the bird's eyes and gold streaks shooting through the tail feathers.

"There's a note, geniuses," said Ron.  Harry took the envelope attached to the bird's leg and read it aloud:

_Harry,_

_This phoenix turned up in my study along with a note from the Founders.  His name is Ignis, and the note said that he now belongs to you.  _

 _It is a great privilege to own a phoenix, Harry.  If the pet doesn't like you, they will leave immediately and will not return.  Make sure you keep your relationship with him strong, and Ignis will be and amazing asset in the war against evil.  _

_Also in the letter, the Founders said that your friends, too, will receive animals.  They should be arriving by the time you're done with this letter._

_Signed,_

_Albus Dumbledore,_

_Order of Merlin, First Class,_

_Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards, _

_And Proud Member of the Famous Witches and Wizards Card Association_

As Harry read the last word, a black panther and a white wolf walked into the Hall.  A silence came over the students as they all stared at the two beasts lumbering their ways through the hall.  Each of them stood at least four feet at the shoulder and their paws were the size of dinner plates.  The wolf walked to Ron and the panther to Hermione.  Each of them spoke.

"My name is Pardalis," said the panther in a feminine voice. 

"And I am Lupor," said the wolf to Ron.  Its voice was masculine and the wolf's musculature could easily be seen through its short fur around its shoulders. 

"Misters Potter and Weasley and Ms. Granger, would you come up here, please," said Dumbledore, breaking the silence in the chamber.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked to the Teachers' table and Dumbledore continued.  "You have all been given unique gifts before this day," he said, "and today you get your final gifts.  These animals are your partners in the War.  They are all highly capable and have seen more years between them than any wizard alive today.  They will always be available to you, but I suggest that they be free to roam about your training area until you can get better acquainted with them."

"Thank you, Professor," said Hermione. 

They were about to retreat to their dormitory until Professor McGonagall stopped them.  "Course schedules," she said briskly before walking off.

When the animals were safely put in the training area, the trio walked to their first class, Advacned Transfiguration.  Professor McGonagall was standing at the front of the class when they got in.  The room was nearly empty, and the teacher was putting out badgers on all the desks and making sure they didn't escape with a full-body bind.  "Ah, you three," she said between binding spells, "This is the first time anyone has been forty-five minutes early for my class before. Is there any particular reason?"

"No, not really," replied Harry.  "We just put our…well, pets, I guess…into the training area in our dormitory.   Hermione decided that she was full, so she dragged us both here, instead of to breakfast, where I could still be eating that bacon and eggs."  He glared at Hermione.

"You could have gone if you wanted to!" she responded.

"Yeah, and then had you to avoid all day," muttered Ron.

_Oh God, _thought Professor McGonagall, _if these three are supposed to save the world as we know it, they're going to need all the help they can get._  "You three," she said aloud, "please stop bickering and tell me about the DA…what are you planning on doing with it now that it's _not _illegal?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances.  None of them even considered what would happen to Dumbledore's Army since they learned of their extended powers.  Harry leaned on his staff and said, "Would we be able to run it again?  I mean, as far as I know, we have a competent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher now, but I think the group would still like to study independently.  Don't you guys?"

"Yeah," chorused Hermione and Ron.  "Would it be possible to get permission to study again?" continued Hermione.  "I know the group would want to be together."

"I'll speak to Professor Dumbledore about it.  Oh, hello, Parvati," said McGonagall.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat at their normal table, middle row, center column.  "Have you guys even considered the DA?" asked Ron.

"Nope, forgot all about it," said Hermione.

"Me too," responded Harry.  "But we'll do it again.  We made so much progress with the entire group last year.   The sixth- and seventh-years can help the fifth years with the OWLs now that we know what they're mostly about."

More and more students filtered into the room over the next forty minutes.  When the bell finally rang, Professor McGonagall stood from her desk and called the class to order.  "On you desks, I have placed a badger.  There are enough for one between three.  You will attempt to turn the badger into a shoehorn.  Instructions can be found on the board, and questions should be answered from your books on page 23.  If they're not, I'm paid to help you.  Please begin." 

Ron hiccoughed with this spell for the first ten minutes of class, but Hermione calmed him down and he finally did it.  By the time class was over, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the only people in class to successfully transform their badgers.  "Excellent," McGonagall said, "Ten points apiece."

The bell rang, and the students exited the classroom.  Hermione went to Arithmancy class while Harry and Ron went to the library.  They had a study period, and they wanted to get a start on the homework assignment that they'd been given.  Ron and Harry sat at a table in the northeast corner of the library and took out their textbooks.  "So, since the badger can be reverted back to its original state, it's not technically killing, and therefore, the Ministry of Magic hasn't classified this spell as illegal.  I wondered about that, didn't you Harry?  Harry?"  Ron said.

But Harry didn't hear.  His head was flat on the table, and his breathing was quick and short.

AN:  Alright, so that's only two chapters' worth of content in one.  Sue me.  You'd have to wait longer if you wanted another.  Next chap will be quicker, I hope.


	9. Suspended

Harry heard Ron's voice, but none of the words made sense…

And that's all I wrote. This story is suspended until further notice due to lack of interest. So come on, folks, tell your friends. I have no motivation to write if I don't know that more than two people are enjoying the damned story.


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